


Showing the Ropes

by SpeedOfSnake



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Pining, alcohol mention, camping and stuff, moomin pov, snufkin introduces moomin to his friends, snufkin pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeedOfSnake/pseuds/SpeedOfSnake
Summary: To help Moomin overcome his broken heart, Snufkin agrees to show Moomin how to travel so he can find someone new.
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin
Comments: 46
Kudos: 139





	1. Letting Go

_How to be okay with letting something go that wasn’t yours._ Moomin wished he knew.

Moomin sulked at the edge of the party. Anyone who asked him to join in on the fun, he’d tell that he was taking a break and enjoying the music. Usually he’d be dancing with Snorkmaiden, arguing with Little My, or… chatting with Snufkin. But this time, well… a travelling musical troupe had caught wind of their little party and decided to make it much grander. And honestly, they had succeeded. A record player was nice but paled in comparison to real live music. Snufkin and his harmonica could only last them so long, especially since he was bound to get tired.

Moomin hated that he was moping like this. He should be having fun! He stared at his pitiful reflection in his cup. It was so much harder now that he understood his feelings. He found himself turning bitter as winter approached. He had to spend less time with Snufkin as it got colder, in fear that he would snap at his friend.

It wasn’t Snufkin leaving for winter that bothered him, he had already come to terms with this, it was the fear that one day he wouldn’t come back. Moomin knew Snufkin didn’t stay with anyone else as long as he did in Moominvalley, but it was only a matter of time wasn’t it?

He tried not to stare at Snufkin and his partner, a beautiful violinist who had him caught in a- no doubt- _enthralling_ conversation. He took another sip of his drink. He’d hoped the alcohol would numb these feelings, but he only felt worse.

He knew he was being ridiculous. His mind knew that Snufkin didn’t belong to him, he had accepted it long ago. But his heart? His heart dug its claws in and made him irrational, making him say things he didn’t mean and act ways he didn’t wish to.

He knew if he didn’t want to ruin their friendship, he would have to _get over it_.

He forced his gaze away from Snufkin and found Snorkmaiden enchanting one of the flautists. She looked happy, which raised Moomin’s spirits a little.

She had become much happier since they’d broken up, which was kind of a weird thing to acknowledge for Moomin, but he was happy for her. They both knew they had been putting on an act, but it had been so hard to break out of it. As it turned out, Snorkmaiden’s real character was much better than her façade.

She laughed long and hard at something he said. To think she used to hide that laugh under a dainty little giggle. Her real laugh was much nicer, much more genuine. Judging by the dreamy look on her partner's face, he agreed.

Moomin was hit much harder by the breakup. Without the distraction of a relationship he was forced to acknowledge just how deep his feelings for Snufkin ran.

He was only so strong, and he found his gaze back to Snufkin, just in time to see the violinist reach out her paw in an obvious invite to dance. Snufkin’s paw found hers and they stepped out onto the floor.

Moomin’s blood ran cold. He felt the effects of the alcohol clouding his judgement. Moomin poured himself another drink and left the party before he could do something he’d regret.

He walked until he found a nice log, which he sat on. He was still close enough to hear the faint music of the party, but also close enough to the stream that he could hear it burbling.

Usually by this time, Snufkin would have snuck off, and Moomin would join him once he’d had some time to cool off. They’d chat, or just sit and enjoy each other’s company. On chilly evenings, if he was lucky, sometimes Snufkin would lean against his shoulder for warmth.

Moomin took a swig of his drink. A new song started playing. Something lively and jazzy.

Would the troupe leave after the night? Maybe Snufkin would go with them. He was a musician, and he certainly seemed taken with the violinist.

Moomin took a deep breath to steady himself. He hated that he was like this. He didn’t want to be jealous! He wanted to be happy for Snufkin. He wanted Snufkin’s happiness to be his own. But it seemed he was only happy if he was making Snufkin happy, and that was selfish.

“It seemed the tables have turned tonight.”  
Moomin jumped. Snufkin sat down beside him.  
Moomin was ashamed by the amount of relief he felt that Snufkin chose to spend the evening with Moomin, rather than running off with the violinist.  
The playful expression on Snufkin’s face quickly melted away once he got a look at Moomin’s. He turned to look at the stars.

“It’s not like you to leave a party early,” Snufkin commented, in his words was a hidden question.  
“I know,” Moomin replied simply.  
The sound of the river mixed with the music, made a nice mood, almost romantic. Moomin waved that thought away quickly.  
“Do you want to talk about it?”  
He did. He didn’t. He couldn’t. He couldn’t let Snufkin know, but he wanted to tell him.

“It’s just,” Moomin started. “I- I want…” Moomin huffed. “How do you be okay with not having something you want?”  
Snufkin raised an eyebrow. “Well, there are some things we can’t have. Some things that don’t belong to us.”  
“Yes, of course I understand that I can’t have it. But how do I be okay with it?”  
Snufkin hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose you have to be content with appreciating it from afar. I love the moon, but I cannot hold it, and I cannot see it all the time.”  
“What if the moon suddenly stopped lightning the sky at all?” Moomin spun the drink in his cup. “What if it- what if it’s taken away, and you can no longer enjoy it.”

Snufkin was quiet for a long moment. “This is about love isn’t it?”  
Moomin froze. “That obvious, is it?”  
“For most, no. But I know you,” Snufkin said. That didn’t make Moomin feel any better. He shouldn’t have brought it up.  
“I just…” Moomin sighed. “I wish I didn’t feel this way.”  
Snufkin hummed sympathetically, still looking at the stars. Moomin looked up too and saw the waxing moon. At least Moomin knew the moon would always be there.  
  
“Letting people go is difficult,” Snufkin said carefully. “But sometimes necessary if you want to keep what relationship you have.”  
Moomin knew this. “Easier said than done.”  
“But you have done it. You’ve done it with me.”  
Moomin’s heart stopped. What did Snufkin mean by that? Of course, he understood Snufkin’s need to wander but… they were talking about a different type of letting go. The fact that Snufkin brought it up in this conversation meant that… No. He couldn’t- he couldn’t _know_ could he?

He chanced a glance at Snufkin and was met by pitying eyes. He felt his stomach drop to the floor. He knew. He must know if he was looking at him like that.

Moomin downed the rest of his drink. Rejected. Before he had even gathered the courage to confess.

“It takes time to accept it,” Snufkin continued over the sound of Moomin’s breaking heart. “Knowing that you can’t give them what they want- what they _need_. It’s hard but- it’s possible, to be happy for them.”  
The way Snufkin was talking, it almost sounded like…  
“You sound as if you have experience,” Moomin probed, hoping- _praying_ \- he was wrong.  
“I supposed I do.” Snufkin’s face turned a light pink that Moomin would have adored if it weren’t for the turning of his insides.  
“I wouldn’t suppose this person happened to be in Moominvalley,” he hoped.  
Snufkin looked uncomfortable, averting his gaze to the side. From that reaction it was obvious they weren’t in Moominvalley.

He buried his snout in his hands. All of his fears were coming true. There was someone out there with the power to take Snufkin away from him forever. He hated them. He hated himself for hating them. He hated that he couldn’t stop himself from crying.

Snufkin’s hand rubbed slow circles on Moomin’s back as his tears fell silently to the grass.

Moomin wiped his eyes a few minutes later. He felt a bit better. He should feel grateful. Snufkin knew about his feelings and still decided to be friends with him. At least that particular fear was squashed.

Snufkin stopped rubbing circles but let his arm rest on Moomin’s shoulders. “One day, you’ll find someone else.”  
“ _Find someone,_ ” Moomin scoffed. “I guess I just have to wait until my soulmate stumbles into Moominvalley!”  
Snufkin gave him a bewildered look, obviously not having been expecting such a rude reply.  
Moomin rubbed his face. “Sorry Snuff, it’s just… I’m not like you. I can’t wander off into the world to find people myself.”  
“You could.”  
“Sure, I could,” Moomin rolled his eyes. “We both know I’d be dead within days. Would probably eat a poisonous mushroom or fall off a cliff!”  
“That’s not true,” Snufkin replied. “You’re more than capable of handling yourself,” he paused. “But perhaps it would be wise to have someone to show you the ropes.”

Like who? His father? Whenever he went on a trip with his father, he would wind up doing everything himself in an attempt to show off. He would have a similar problem with his mother, who wouldn’t want Moomin to be inconvenienced with any work. Too-Ticky maybe? But she wasn’t around as often during the summer, and she always seemed busy. And there was no way he could ask Snufkin… right?

“Snufkin, what if- hear me out before you say no- what if you took me with you on your trip? Just at the beginning, to show me how you do everything properly,” Moomin asked nervously.  
“Moomin,” Snufkin retracted his arm, his tone making Moomin deflate. “You _know_ I need my time in the winter.”  
“Yes- I know. Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Moomin wrung his hands. Snufkin didn’t reply. Great, now he’d gone and made him angry.  
“Maybe I’ll leave a month early.”  
Moomin started. “What? Wait, no- Snufkin- you don’t have to leave! I wasn’t thinking- I just-”  
“Moomin,” Snufkin grabbed one of his paws. “I meant, that I could leave a month early and take you with me, then I’d still have winter for myself.”

It took Moomin a moment to process this, both shocked by the invitation and distracted by their intertwined paws.

“Really?” Moomin was sure his tail was wagging. “I can come with you?”  
“Really,” Snufkin smiled, warming Moomin’s aching heart. "There are some nice towns near by that I'd love to show you. The only question is, which one?"

They spent the rest of the evening discussing their plans. For the first time that night, Moomin felt himself. Later he will lament his broken heart but for now he is giddy with excitement of their future plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me trying to write: And then Moomin… felt… emotions...
> 
> I tried to make it semi-serious in this chapter but it will probably get silly quickly.
> 
> Also sorry to those who hate misunderstandings in fics but there be misunderstandings here.


	2. On Edge

Snufkin _knew_ it couldn’t have been that easy. When Snorkmaiden and Moomin broke up, he didn’t see either of them shed a single tear. Even when he asked Moomin about it, he had assured him that it was a mutual agreement. And yet, Moomin’s mood had certainly plummeted since then. He hadn’t been himself, snapping occasionally at his friends and spending days cooped up by himself.

The party had been Moomin’s breaking point. Seeing Snorkmaiden getting along so well with that musician must have been heartbreaking for him. Snufkin was a little sad that his friend hadn’t confided in him earlier but could appreciate his need for secrecy. He hoped from now on, there would be no more secrets between them, at least on Moomin’s side.

This brought them to their current situation. Snufkin knew he shouldn’t have said yes, but after seeing the hopeless, heartbroken expression on his face, there was no way he could refuse. It didn’t change the fact that he was going to help the love of his life find a new girlfriend.

Snufkin had long accepted his place in Moomin’s life, that his role was that of a friend and nothing more. While he still spent some nights lying awake in his bed dreaming of soft paws on his skin, longing for something more between them, he was used to it. The ache in his heart had reduced to a dull throb and sometimes he could forget he was in love at all.  
Not often, but sometimes.

But Moomin’s recent breakup was igniting hope in him that had no place being there. He had no desire to relive his previous heartbreak and was doing his best to squash down his optimism.

The week following their agreement, Moomin’s mood had already improved greatly and Snufkin knew he couldn’t back out.  
It was all too soon before it was time for them to go. He was bringing Moomin to a quaint village, filled with many homey types, with just enough travelers passing through to keep it interesting.  
With a hug from Moominmamma and a promise to keep safe, they were on their way. He gave Moomin a compass and a map, allowing him to be their guide. It was his trip, after all.

After an hour of going down the wrong path, he gently suggested Moomin check the map again.  
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Moomin asked miserably once he had turned them around.  
“Part of travelling is getting lost, and dealing with these types of mistakes,” Snufkin answered.  
Moomin checked the compass and map three times as often after that.

The mishaps continued as the day progressed. They found a nice clearing by a stream to camp as evening approached. It took Moomin three tries to get his tent set up, the first time he hit himself square on the nose with one of the rods. Then he fell in the river when trying to fish, only managing to catch a fish barely the length of his hand, which he then proceeded to set on fire when attempting to cook it.

He stared miserably at the charred fish. Snufkin sat beside him on the log. “What’s wrong, Moomin?”  
Moomin threw the fish into the fire, Snufkin didn’t blame him for it was quite unsalvageable. “I told you I’m no good at this.” He covered his eyes with his paws.  
“Nonsense,” Snufkin handed him another fish on a stick, one that he had caught. “I’ve seen you set up a tent before, and while you’re not a fishing master, you’re perfectly able to catch one usually.”  
Moomin held the fish high above the fire, where no flame had any hope of reaching it, and rotated it slowly.  
“We both know cooking isn’t your strong suit,” Snufkin gently lowered Moomin’s arm so the fish would have a chance of getting cooked. “But we can work on that.” He smiled, hopefully reassuringly.  
Moomin smiled back unconvincingly. He was still on edge about something, it really seemed as if…  
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”  
Moomin jolted at the accusation. “I’m-I’m not nervous!”  
“It’s okay,” he put his hand on Moomin’s shoulder. “It won’t be hard to find someone for you,” Snufkin’s heart twinged, “People don’t care whether you can fish or camp, so you don’t have to worry about messing up.”

Moomin didn’t reply for a while, concentrating on the rotating fish. “What about you?”  
“Hm? Me?”  
“Do you look for camping skills in a partner?”  
Snufkin froze. Why was Moomin asking that? Was he interested in Snufkin? No, of course not. Moomin was just curious. But what if-  
“Sorry, I know I shouldn’t pry.” Moomin took the fish off the fire and poked it. Snufkin’s hand fell off his shoulder. Moomin put the fish back on the fire once he saw it wasn’t done.

“It’s fine,” Snufkin said. “I don’t… I don’t particularly look for camping skills.”  
“But it would be better right?” Moomin replied.  
“Not necessarily,” Snufkin stuck another fish on a stick. “I can do all this just fine myself. Practically, it would make sense to go for someone with skills I _don’t_ have.”  
“So... you choose someone based on practicality?”  
“No,” Snufkin glances at Moomin, and then at the burnt fish. “It’s not a choice.”

If Snufkin were to be practical, he certainly wouldn’t choose someone who could never love him back.  
But if given the choice, would he give up this love? He had been in love so long it was practically a part of him now. Moomin warmed him in a way that no fire could. So maybe this love was practical. Without it, he would certainly go cold.

***

Moomin was less self-deprecating the next day, taking his mistakes in stride. He allowed himself to stray from the path and admire nature as one should when on a journey. He also started collecting long thin sticks.

“What are those for?” Snufkin asked.  
Moomin shrugged. “Something, probably.”  
Snufkin decided to let him be, though they would probably need to be left behind at some point.  
“Should we maybe set up camp soon?” Moomin looked up nervously at the growing storm clouds.  
“Yes, we should. But we won’t.”  
“Why not?”  
“Sometimes it’s not obvious when a storm will hit, so I want to see how you fare putting your tent up in one.”  
Moomin looked at the sky apprehensively. “Can’t wait.”

Minutes later, the first rain drops started falling. Snufkin insisted they wait until it was an absolute downpour before they set up their tents. Snufkin set his up in a few minutes but stayed to watch Moomin struggle with his.

“Go inside! You’ll get sick!” Moomin yelled over the rain as the pole slipped through the mud.  
“Oh, are you the wilderness expert now?”  
“No! Apparently I’m a motherly type, so I’m supposed to worry about people and make them soup when they’re sick! And I don’t know how to make soup out here, so you’d better not get sick!”  
Snufkin chuckled in response.

After a few more tries it was clear that Moomin wouldn’t be succeeding any time soon. “Moomin, just get inside mine! We can try this again another day!”  
Moomin reluctantly rolled up his wet tent into a bundle and they both went inside Snufkin’s tent. Moomin shook himself dry, getting water all over the inside of the tent. Snufkin gave him an unimpressed look.  
“What?” Moomin riffled through his bag. “You’re already sopping wet!” He handed Snufkin a towel.  
Snufkin undressed and put on some dry underwear, which was the only article of clothing he had a spare of, and wrapped himself up in the towel. Moomin looked fixedly at the tent wall as he did so.

“Now what?” Moomin asked.  
“We wait,” Snufkin said. “I’ll probably take a nap.”  
“I’m not tired so I’ll do something else.” Moomin turned around once Snufkin was sitting in his sleeping bag. “Snufkin!”  
“Hm?”  
“Your hair is all wet!” Moomin crawled over to Snufkin and grabbed the towel off the ground. “You need to dry it properly.”  
Snufkin rolled his eyes and held his hand out for the towel. Instead he felt the towel on his head.  
“If you don’t dry your hair properly, I’ll worry about you even more!” Moomin teased as he massaged Snufkin’s head with the towel.  
“Hm,” Snufkin replied, a little lost in the feeling. Moomin was very gentle, as always. He might just fall asleep like this…

He drooped forwards. Then he was suddenly leaning on Moomin. He was just close enough that he could feel Moomin’s fur tickling his chest.  
He had felt Moomin’s fur many times but never on his bare chest. It was such a foreign feeling- but nice in a way he wasn't used to. It felt _too_ intimate- and yet he itched to be closer. He subtly leaned a little more. It wasn’t enough. The itch only got worse. He wanted- _needed_ to be in Moomin’s arms.  
 _‘I’m feeling a little cold’_ he imagined himself saying. _‘Why don’t you come into my sleeping bag to warm me up?’  
_ Snufkin shivered at the thought of Moomin’s fur against every inch of his body.

“Snufkin are you cold?” Snufkin felt the rumble of Moomin’s voice against his skin.  
“ _Yes_ ,” he replied breathlessly.  
Moomin pushed Snufkin away from him, Snufkin had to hold back a whine of protest. Moomin’s hand found his forehead. “You’re kind of warm. You should sleep.”  
His mouth hung open, desperate to say something that would make Moomin come back. “Okay,” he said instead, and curled up in his sleeping bag.  
“Let me know if you need something okay?” Moomin said.Snufkin nodded and watched as Moomin sat on the other side of the tent, leaving him feeling cold.  
He closed his eyes. His chest was hollow, aching for the warmth of Moomin’s fur.  
He curled up tightly in his sleeping bag to soothe the feeling and eventually fell asleep.

***

Snufkin was awoken by the sound of a zipper. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and sat up. There was no longer the sound of rain pattering on the tent. He could hear crickets. How long had he been asleep? He reached for his clothes but found they were missing. He hoped they weren’t far.

He shivered as he stepped out of the tent, the night autumn air taking advantage of his lack of clothes. Luckily, Moomin had made a fire and was cooking… his clothes?  
“Snufkin! Come here before you freeze!” Moomin said. He was bent over, doing _something_ to some fish.  
Snufkin neared the fire and shivered with the sudden warmth.  
“I hope you don’t mind,” Moomin sat up straight. “I took your- ah.” Moomin blinked in surprise at Snufkin. “Your- um, your…” Moomin just stared for a moment before shaking his head rapidly and turning away. “Your clothes! I took them!”  
“Yes, I noticed.” The clothes were suspended on a wooden structure that domed over the fire. “Were you planning on eating them?”  
“Don’t be silly,” Moomin busied himself with the fish again. “I’m drying them for you!”  
“Smoking them more like,” Snufkin made a show of sniffing his clothes.  
“As if your clothes didn’t smell already.” Moomin turned to smile at Snufkin, before jumping a little and quickly turning back to the fish.

“What are you doing there?”  
“You’ll see in a second. Can you check if your clothes are dry?”  
Snufkin felt they were still a bit damp, but they were much better than nothing. He took them off the wooden structure and changed into them. When he was finished, Moomin was hanging the fish on his structure, attached by a net of fishing wire.  
“We can cook a lot of fish at once like this.”  
Snufkin hummed, impressed by the structure.

“You did all this while I was asleep?”  
“Yeah, well, the storm didn’t last long so I had time.”  
“It’s impressive, but I don’t think we’ll be able to take it with us.”  
“Yeah, I figured.” Moomin sat down on a log. “But whoever comes camping here next can use it.”  
Snufkin smiled fondly. Oh Moomintroll, always so kind, leaving gifts for travelers he would never meet. Didn’t he know he was already a gift to the world?  
Snufkin huffed at his own sappiness.

Snufkin sat down beside Moomin. There wasn’t a lot of room on the log, so they were right up against each other. Snufkin always relished the times he got to be close to Moomin, but for some reason, he was extra conscious of every brush of fur against him. He couldn’t relax. Was it because of earlier?  
The memory of fur on his skin made his heart hurt. He clutched his chest. He was supposed to be over this.

“Are you okay?” Moomin asked. Snufkin could see the firelight reflected in his eyes. The light of was dulled so it didn’t hurt to look at. Moomin was like that. He made everything… softer. Whenever Snufkin was with him, he felt whatever danger there could be in the world was far away. Even Snufkin himself felt softer.  
Then Snufkin caught sight of his own reflection in Moomin’s eyes, full of desperation, and he had to look away. “I’m fine,” he said  
“Okay,” Moomin replied softly, his tone betraying that he didn’t believe Snufkin, but would let him be.

His strange mood dissipated once they started eating and Moomin told him about a weird fish he saw. From the description, Snufkin commented it sounded more like a toy than a fish, but Moomin insisted that he saw it move on its own. The rest of their conversation was equally lighthearted, but the heavy feeling in Snufkin’s heart persisted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't even supposed to be a chapter but here it is and nothing much happened but thats how it be sometimes
> 
> I change between povs but there will probably be more in Snufkin's pov than Moomin's
> 
> Also I might change my name on here to something different but I haven't decided yet...


	3. Snufkin's Other Friends

Over the next few days, Snufkin taught Moomin how to find water, which mushrooms were poisonous, and the signs a predator might be near. Snufkin stopped them when they were about a ten-minute walk away from the town so they could set up camp.

“Has anyone tried to steal your stuff while you’re gone?” Moomin asked as he put his things inside his tent.  
“I don’t have much worth stealing but it has happened a few times. Luckily I’m a good tracker.”  
“You caught them?” Moomin popped his head out. “What did you do?”  
“One time it was another vagabond who lost his tent in a fire. He stole my sleeping bag so he wouldn’t freeze to death. I let him travel with me until we reached a town and he was able to trade for new supplies. And the other time, well,” Snufkin grinned and make a show of unsheathing his claws. “Let’s just say I got my stuff back.” Snufkin loved telling stories but sometimes it was fun to leave his audience mystified. Moomin, his current audience, knew Snufkin wouldn’t answer any questions, and was visibly restraining himself from doing so.  
“Sounds like a good story,” Moomin finally said.  
“It is,” Snufkin smiled. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the town.”

Ten minutes later they arrived at the edge of the town. As it was still early afternoon, the town was alive with people going about their business. Several of the people called out in greeting to Snufkin, who waved back.

“A lot of the people here seem to know you,” Moomin sounded nervous for some reason.  
“They know me, but I don’t know them.”  
Moomin raised an eyebrow, his way of accusing Snufkin of being overly cryptic.  
Snufkin grinned. “Because I perform,” he tapped his harmonica. “And sometimes I’ll tell stories. Most people recognize me for that.” He pointed to one of the buildings. “The library here is quite nice, I suggest you visit it at some point.”  
“Looks nice,” Moomin said distractedly. “Do you come back often?”  
“It’s on the way to a lot of places so I’ll pass by every few years. Oh! This is one of my favourite shops, one of the reasons I like this town.”

The shop window was cluttered with various artifacts and knickknacks. “This is the place every traveler visits, trading what they’ve found on their journeys for what others have found. There’s always something new and interesting.”  
“You trade things here?”  
“No, I just like to look and chat, but maybe you’ll find something you like. But we won’t go here today, there’s somewhere else I want to take you!”

They continued window shopping as they made their way through the town.  
They passed by a tailor,  
“Snufkin don’t you think it’s time you got yourself a proper suit?” Moomin asked in an overly snobby voice.  
“Indeed,” Snufkin played along. “I think I’ll go for that one.” He pointed at a suit made out of the ugliest material he had ever seen. Moomin broke his act to laugh, making Snufkin laugh along.

They passed a jewelry shop.  
“I bet Snorkmaiden would go crazy for this store,” Moomin said.  
Snufkin froze. The whole point of being here was to distract Moomin from Snorkmaiden. Snufkin grabbed Moomin’s paw and took them to the other side of the street. “And Pappa would go crazy for this one!” The store sold pipes and tobacco.  
“If I smoked, I would smoke out of that,” Moomin pointed to a pipe shaped like a frog.  
“Of course, you would,” Snufkin said fondly.

As they made their way past a bakery, they heard an exclamation from inside.  
“No no no!” A girl tumbled out of the door walking backwards, in her arms was a big barrel. She lost her balance and tripped. Moomin reached forward to catch her, barrel and all.  
“Oh!” The girl exclaimed. Moomin put her back on her feet, taking the barrel from her and putting it aside. “Thank you so much!”  
She was a Hemul that Snufkin recognized from some nights at the bar but had never formally met her.  
“Don’t worry about it," Moomin said. "Are you alright?”  
She nodded. “Well, lets try this again.” She struggled to pick it up, and when she finally did so, she immediately fell over again. Luckily Moomin’s reflexes were good.  
“Where does this need to go? I can carry it for you.”  
“Really? Thank you so much! It’s just a few minutes away- oh I need to grab the other one.”  
This time she dragged the other barrel out. She positioned herself behind the barrel, about to attempt to lift it again.  
“Ready?” She asked. Moomin raised an eyebrow at her before taking one barrel in each arm, as if they weighed nothing.  
Snufkin sometimes forgot how strong Moomin was and felt himself go a little light-headed at the show of strength. Judging by the surprised blush on the girl’s face, she was also impressed.  
“So, um, it’s this way.” She pointed back the way they came.  
“You don’t mind a detour, do you Snuff?”  
“No-,” his voice came out breathless. He cleared his throat. “Of course not.”  
“Great!” Moomin beamed, making Snufkin’s heart beat faster as if he was the one carrying the barrels.

They chatted as they made their way to their destination. The girl’s parents owned the bakery and would sometimes make ale on the side. They decided to gift a few barrels to the tavern, in hopes of getting some feedback.  
“You should come by later if you want to try it,” the girl said once they delivered the barrels.  
“We will, thank you,” Snufkin replied for them, as he had been planning on visiting that evening.

They waved her goodbye and went on their way.  
“She seems nice,” Moomin commented. Snufkin’s heart squeezed with jealousy. He berated himself. The point of this trip was to find Moomin someone new. He couldn’t be getting jealous.  
“She does,” he said neutrally. “This town has a lot of nice people.”  
“I can’t wait to meet them!”  
Snufkin’s heart panged again.

Finally, they reached their destination: Snufkin’s favourite coffee shop. The door’s bell tinkled as they entered.  
There was a woman behind the counter. She was tall and thin with a long shout, and short, wiry brown hair that stood up on its end. She was turned away from them, slowly grinding coffee

“Good afternoon Lin!” Snufkin called as he reached the counter.  
“Snufkin!” She turned around. “Wasn’t expecting to see you this early.”  
“I guess I just I couldn’t stay away from your delicious coffee.”  
She laughed, then noticed Moomin. “Who’s your friend?”  
“This is Moomin. Moomin, this is Lin.”  
“Pleasure to meet you,” said Moomin.  
“Oh! So, _this_ is Moomin,” she said. Snufkin wasn’t quite sure what that tone meant.  
“Snufkin!” A voice called from below. He looked down to see Lin’s daughter who shared her mother’s gravity defying hair. “Will you play us a song?”  
“Oh, I don’t know.” Snufkin leaned on the counter. “My companion and I are quite parched from the journey.  
Lin rolled her eyes. “I’ll have you a couple of cups in a minute.”  
“Wait! Let me grab my friends!” She ran to the door. “Don’t play without me!”

Lin put two cups of coffee on the counter. Snufkin took a sip and sighed contentedly. “What do you think?”  
Moomin sipped his and scrunched his face in thought. “It’s different. I think I like it.”

The bell on the door rang and a gaggle of children entered the shop, excitedly requesting different songs from Snufkin. He took another sip of his coffee and sat down on a stool. He played one request per child. He was worried Moomin might be getting bored waiting for him but upon checking he was greeted by Moomin’s warm smile and snout nodding along to the music.  
His lips were a little sore once he finished. He drank the rest of his, now lukewarm, coffee.

“Tell us a story now!” One of the children demanded.  
“A story? Oh but which one?” Snufkin thought loudly.  
“Why don’t you tell them about the time you were robbed?” Moomin shouted over the children’s requests, his eyes twinkled mischievously.  
The children took the bait. All interest in other stories were lost, they would only accept the story of the thief.  
Snufkin raised an eyebrow at Moomin, trying to look annoyed but unable to keep himself from smiling.

Snufkin dramatically told the story of how a group of bandits raided his campsite and made away with his most prized possessions. But little did the bandits know, a fairy he had saved from drowning had enchanted his belongings. Once he tracked down the camp, all he had to do was play a tune on his harmonica and all his belongings came to life! With them, Snufkin fought the bandits and triumphed!  
The enchantment would only work once, Snufkin explained when asked. Despite this, he still played the song and the children swore they saw a chair move by itself. Lin had to shoo the children out after that, as they started using her chairs as toys.

Snufkin collapsed in a chair beside Moomin. While he liked the children, their boundless energy sapped him of his.  
“Will I ever get to hear the real story?” Moomin was leaning on his paw.  
“What? You didn’t like the story?” Snufkin pretended to be offended.  
“Oh, I liked it plenty, it just didn’t have any of that…” Moomin mimicked unsheathing his claws, which was… far too adorable for his own good. Snufkin turned away as if in thought, but was really just hiding his fond smile.  
Snufkin hadn't planned on telling the real story, but in the end, the desire to please Moomin won over his desire to be mysterious.  
“Alright, the real story isn’t as heroic though,” Snufkin traced a pattern in the wood of the table. “I simply covered myself in mud, found them at night, and scared them into giving my things back.”  
“Really?” Moomin asked doubtfully. “That worked?”  
Snufkin nodded. “With my night eyes and claws I can be pretty scary.”  
“But why mud?”  
“A mysterious oozing creature is much more intimidating than a normal Snufkin.”  
"If you say so..." Moomin didn't sound convinced, even though Snufkin had told the truth.

“Snufkin! We weren’t expecting to find you here!”  
A pair sat down across from them, one tall with neat, cropped hair, and one short and plump with longer hair gathered in a ponytail.  
“Moomin, meet Finkly,” he gestured the taller fellow, then pointed to the smaller “and Bug.”  
“Bug?”  
“It’s a long story,” said Bug. He eyed Moomin up and down. “So _this_ is Moomin, eh?”  
Why did he say it like that? Like he knew-  
Oh.

Snufkin stared at Bug warningly. He smirked in response.  
“You know, Snufkin’s told us _all_ about you,” Bug said.  
“He has?” Moomin perked up.  
“From what we’ve heard, you’ve had quite a few adventures together.” _Adventures?_ Snufkin relaxed a little. That was a safe topic, but judging by his smug face, it might not be safe for long.  
“Well, it’s nothing compared to what he gets up to on his own,” Moomin replied.  
“Well you’re here together aren’t you?” Bug said. “Does that mean you’ve finally-”  
“We’re here to find someone for Moomin!” Snufkin interrupted.  
“Oh yeah? Who?”  
“Well, we don’t know. We’re looking for a… romantic partner.”  
Bug gave Snufkin an incredulous look. “Is that so?”  
Moomin nodded uncomfortably. Snufkin hadn’t mean to expose Moomin like that, but he didn’t want them getting the wrong idea.  
“Well if everything Snufkin says about you is true, I’m sure you’ll have your choice of suitors,” Bug said.  
Snufkin wondered how quickly he could throw his knife across the table.  
“Ah? Oh really?” Moomin was flustered.  
“He said you’re good at making things,” Finkly came to Snufkin’s rescue.  
“I don’t know about that,” Moomin said bashfully. “I’m no inventor, I just make do with what I have.”  
Finkley nodded. “It’s still an impressive skill to have.”  
“I bet you’ll be going to the bar tonight then?” Bug asked. “That’s the best way to meet people.”  
Snufkin nodded. “That’s the plan. Will we see you there?”  
“I'll be there! What about you, Fink?”  
“Not tonight.”  
“Not even to drink with our old pal Snufkin?”  
Finkley shook his head. Bug gave him a long look before turning and pouting.  
Finkley chuckled. "Don't be sad Bug," he leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll go tomorrow."  
Snufkin glanced away politely but noticed that Moomin… didn’t. He was looking at them with such an odd expression. It couldn’t be disapproval could it? The Moomins always accepted people as they were, this couldn’t be any different… right?

“Well we only popped in to say hello,” Bug stood up from the table. “But I’ll see you later.”  
“See you,” said Snufkin. He turned to Moomin. “We should get back too, if we want to have dinner.”  
“Huh?” Moomin jolted. “Ah, yes, let’s go.”

Moomin was unnervingly quiet on the way back. He seemed to be deep in thought, frowning about whatever he was thinking about. Snufkin was worried it was about his friends, but was too scared to ask. He didn't want to be right.  
Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

“What did you think of my friends?”  
Moomin jumped, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “Oh, they seemed very nice, but um,” he slowed his pace. “I was wondering about something.”  
“Oh?” Snufkin said, his heart racing.

Moomin fiddled with the end of his tail. “I just realized, when I met your friends, that um, well, people like you,”  
“People like me?” Snufkin snapped. Did Moomin actually disapprove of- of _people like him_?  
Moomin stiffened at Snufkin’s tone. “Uh, yes, you know, people with um,” Moomin waved in front of his face. “Small noses.”  
That threw Snufkin off. “Noses?”  
“Yes, well you… you kiss differently don’t you?”  
“Differently?”  
“Moomins kiss with our noses, but you don’t kiss like that, right?”  
“No… We don’t.” The tension left Snufkin’s shoulders. Moomin wasn’t worried about two men kissing, he was worried about… noses? “What are you worried about exactly?”  
Moomin shifted from foot to foot, letting go his tail in favour of ringing his hands. “How would I kiss someone like you?”  
Snufkin couldn’t help the wave of heat that crashed over him at the question. ‘ _Like you_ ’ he told his rapidly beating heart ‘ _Not you. LIKE you_ ’. Moomin didn’t want to kiss Snufkin of course. Snufkin’s face felt like it was on fire at the thought. _Calm down._

“I bet it’s not even possible,” Moomin said hastily at Snufkin's lack of response. “Never mind!”  
“Of course it is!” Snufkin said before he could stop himself. He knew it was possible. He knew because he had spent far too much time daydreaming about how he would kiss Moomin the way he wanted to.  
“Really? Then how?”  
“It’s simple," Snufkin tried his best to sound uninvested. "You just have to lift your face and- um, align yourself.”  
Moomin looked confused. He raised his head slightly. “Like this?”  
“No, you have to do it more.”  
Moomin raised it a little higher.  
“No, more like-” he placed his hands on either side on Moomin’s head and tilted it up, just like he had always imagined it and- _what was he doing?_  
“And- and then you just…” he tilted his own head and brought it close and-  
Snufkin froze. _What was he doing?_ He couldn't just _kiss_ Moomin.  
But... Moomin wasn't pushing him away, maybe he _wanted_ Snufkin to show him exactly how-  
No, Moomin hadn't asked him to demonstrate. Snufkin had already taken it too far.  
And yet… it would be so easy- to trip- _by accident_ of course- and gently press his lips to Moomin's. He shivered at the thought. Just one... just one kiss. It couldn't hurt right?  
No.  
It could.

His fear won over his desire. He let Moomin go and stepped back. “Well, I’d image it would go something like that.”  
Moomin kept his head raised to the sky and Snufkin was glad of it. He needed a moment to put on a decent expression because he knew his desire was transparent on his face. He brought his hands up to his cheeks and felt the heat radiating off of them.

Moomin’s snout remained pointed towards the sky, and he began to worry that he had gone too far, even with all the effort he put into restraining himself.

“But what if…” Moomin’s voice was so soft. “If _I_ wanted to kiss someone?”  
Snufkin pushed away his daydream of Moomin kissing him. “You’d… do the same thing I suppose,”  
Moomin slowly lowered his face. “The same? Then…”  
Moomin slowly reached towards Snufkin. Snufkin froze, wide-eyed.  
Moomin cradled Snufkin’s face in his hands then, gently, tilted it up.

Moomin’s hands were surely scalded by Snufkin’s hot skin but he didn’t let go. Snufkin couldn’t see what Moomin was doing. His heart drummed in his chest with anticipation and fear. He felt Moomin shift. And then-  
A breath against his lips. Snufkin squeezed his eyes shut. Every inch of him was begging Moomin to move closer.  
 _Please_. Snufkin thought. _Kiss me_.  
Another breath. He clenched his fists at his side. Moomin was driving him into a frenzy with how much he _needed_ this.

Then Moomin’s hand were gone. Snufkin gasped quietly, his body cold from the lack of contact.

“Thank you!” Moomin squeaked. “F-for showing me how.”  
“Don’t worry about it,” Snufkin muttered to the sky. “I’m going to go grab some fruit for dinner,” Snufkin said before he all but ran off into the woods.

Once he was far enough away, he collapsed to the ground.  
Snufkin’s face tingled with the memory of Moomin’s paws. His whole body ached with the desire to be in Moomin's arms. He clutched his heart, trying to thaw the icy feeling in his chest.  
He had never longed to kiss his friend as much as he did now. He had been _so close_.

And all this so that Moomin could kiss someone else.  
There mere thought of it made him want to cry. How was he supposed to happily watch Moomin find someone else to love?

He allowed himself to wallow, shedding a few tears, before snapping himself out of it. He gathered a handful of salmon berries before making his way back to the camp. He prayed his hopelessness didn't show on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the random OCs
> 
> In this fic all Moomins are bi and they assume that everyone knows this but Snufkin doesn't know this
> 
> Also using what little I know of Danish/Swedish grammar, I call them Hemuls because I think Hemulen = the Hemul.
> 
> Idk how to describe people like... people who look human... have human noses... Mymbles and Mumriks and whatever Too-Tikki is...
> 
> Once my sister and I found salmon berries when camping and we made tea out of them and it was the worst thing I ever drank, would not recommend.


	4. The Reason They Came

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More alcohol in this chapter

Moomin had never considered Snufkin to be cruel, and yet how else could he describe what happened?  
Maybe he just didn’t think it through. At least he had the decency to seem flustered by his actions. Moomin didn’t know how he’d feel if Snufkin had acted unfazed.

Moomin sighed. He knew Snufkin didn’t mean any harm, but it didn’t change how tender Moomin felt now.

He reeled in the line and unhooked the fish. Snufkin had been gone a while. Moomin supposed he also needed some time to cool off.

Eventually Snufkin returned to the camp with his hands full of berries. He stared at Moomin for a moment, face unreadable.  
“Oh. You’re fishing.”  
“Yes? Is that bad?”  
“Of course not!” Snufkin said. “Looks like you’ve caught enough, we can start cooking now.”  
The atmosphere was strained. Moomin hated that.

“I managed to catch them pretty quickly,” Moomin forced out. “Maybe I’ll surpass your fishing skills soon.”  
“Maybe,” Snufkin smiled awkwardly.  
Moomin continued the conversation like this, until Snufkin’s responses were more natural.

“I wonder if the berries would taste good with the fish,” Moomin said.  
Snufkin looked sceptically at the berries. “I don’t think they’d go well together.  
“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” Moomin skewered a berry and cooked it over the fire, then ate it with a bite of fish. “Ugh!” Moomin forced himself to swallow it. “Bad idea. Do not try that.”  
Snufkin chuckled at Moomin’s antics. His face was flushed from the heat of the fire and Moomin was reminded of how his hot face had felt in his paws. He inhaled some fish.

Snufkin handed him some water once he had gotten over his coughing fit.  
“You okay?” he asked.  
“Yes,” Moomin rasped. “I forgot you’re not supposed to breathe fish.”  
Snufkin laughed at that and Moomin couldn’t prevent himself from staring. Snufkin needed to stop being so charming or Moomin might do something he’d regret. He quickly took another bite of fish.

After they ate, they scoured the forest for mushrooms, conversation flowing easily between them. When the moon was halfway up into the sky, Snufkin announced it was time to go to town.  
“Can you tell the time just by looking?”  
“Not really,” Snufkin shrugged. “I just feel it’s a good time to go.”  
“Huh,” Moomin looked at the moon. “We’re going to the bar, right?”  
“Yup.”  
“I don’t have money though.”  
“Neither do I. I usually play for my drinks.”  
Moomin wrung his hands. “I can’t play though.”  
“I never finish all my drinks so we can share.”  
“Hm,” Moomin thought. “Maybe I should pick up an instrument.”  
“Have something in mind?”  
“No… what goes well with a harmonica?”  
“Do you want to duet?” Snufkin smiled.  
Moomin wrung his hands. “I mean, if we’re going to be at the same bar, it makes sense to play together.”  
Snufkin nodded. “I think you can make any instruments work together, so it depends on you.”  
“I’ll have to think about it then.”

Snufkin pointed out the bar as they approached, though it wasn’t really necessary as it was the only building that was lit up.  
“It probably won’t be busy today,” Snufkin explained. “But we can come back tomorrow as well.”  
When Snufkin pushed open the door, Moomin saw he was right. There were a fair number of people, but most of the tables were empty.

“Snufkin! Moomin!” Bug called from one of the tables. They sat across from him.  
“Stay here, I’ll get you two something to drink,” Bug ran off to the bar.  
“He’s quite friendly,” Moomin commented.  
“Yup,” Snufkin replied. “He also likes to get people drunk.”  
“Here you go!” He set two mugs in front of them.  
Moomin sniffed his drink. “What is it?”  
“Beer of course!”  
“Huh. I thought it would smell more like bread.”  
Snufkin and Bug started blankly at him.  
“Moomin, you’ve never had beer?” Snufkin asked.  
Moomin felt a little shy. “We just have wine and spirits at home.”  
“Your first beer!” Bug said, as if he were a father watching a baby’s first step. “Well, try it!”  
Moomin took a sip. “Hm.”  
“You don’t like it, do you?” Snufkin smiled, teasingly.  
“Maybe I just need to get used to it.” He took another gulp. It was very different from wine.  
“They have other drinks if you don’t like it,” Snufkin said.  
“I’ll finish this at least.” Moomin took another gulp, shuddering at the taste.

They chatted idly for a while. What was new with Bug. What was new with Snufkin.  
Then Bug abruptly changed the topic.  
“So Snufkin,” he began. “Any progress with that crush of yours?”  
Moomin's heart went cold. Snufkin talked to Bug about his crush? Why didn’t he talk to Moomin? Wasn’t Moomin his best friend?  
Snufkin stared opened mouth at Bug, his cheeks red. “No!”  
“Hm, such a shame.” Bug took a sip. “You ought to try harder.”  
“I- I’m not trying,” Snufkin said.  
Bug shook his head in disapproval. “Ah. I’m out of beer. Be right back.”

The table was quiet after he left.  
“So you talk to _him_ about your crush, but not me?” Moomin didn’t try to keep the bitterness out of his mouth.  
Snufkin floundered a moment, his face still cherry red. “I just- I talk more when I’m drunk.”  
Moomin took a sip to calm down. “Still... why did you never talk to me about it before?”  
“I…” Snufkin twisted his mug on the table. “I don’t like to think about it. Sometimes if I drink a lot, I can’t help myself. But I didn’t mean to keep any secrets from you.”  
Moomin softened. He didn’t want to make Snufkin talk about things that made him sad. But he still felt hurt. “I’m still your best friend, right?” Moomin flushed as he realized how childish his question was.  
Snufkin smiled warmly and took Moomin’s paw in his. “Of course. You’re the most important person to me.”  
The statement made Moomin’s mind go blank.  
Snufkin froze a moment later. He quickly let go of Moomin’s paw and downed the rest of his beer.  
“I’m out of beer! I’m going for more.” Snufkin clambered up from his seat and went to the bar.  
Moomin stared at his paw. Snufkin should know not to say things like that to Moomin. His heart couldn’t take it.

He took another gulp from his beer. His eyes found the bar, where Snufkin and Bug were talking to the lady behind it, another Hemul. Snufkin had his harmonica out. Moomin perked up. Snufkin’s songs always put him in a good mood.  
Snufkin’s eyes met his and he smiled apologetically, waving his harmonica. Moomin smiled back and gave him a thumbs up.

He started out with a nice lively tune, one Snufkin had written himself. It was one of Moomin’s favourites.  
Distracted by the music, he managed to make his way through the beer. Snufkin started playing a love song.

“Moomin!” cried a voice from the bar. Moomin turned and saw it was the Hemul girl from earlier. She waved him over. Moomin brought his empty mug to the bar.  
“So glad you came! Are you ready to try our ale?”  
Moomin wasn’t sure he wanted more beer, but he nodded anyways. She took his mug and filled it up. “Try it!”  
Moomin took a cautious sip. “Hm, I think I like it better.”  
“Really? You’re the first person to say that.”  
“I don’t really know a lot about beer,” Moomin said. “This is only my second.”  
“Really? I was basically raised on the stuff!”  
“I mainly drink wine.”  
“Wine’s all right, but nothing beats a cold beer after a long day of work, if you ask me!”  
The music changed to a well-known dancing song.  
“Oh! My sister and I love this song! I have to dance to it! I’ll be right back!” She met another Hemul in front of where Snufkin was playing and began to dance.  
“If you prefer wine, we have quite the selection,” The woman from behind the counter said. “You can have a glass as thanks for your help with the barrels.”  
“Oh, thank you. I should finish this first though.”  
“Alright, just let me know.” She made to move away but paused, staring at Moomin inquisitively. “So, about you and Snufkin…”  
“Yes? What about us?” Moomin took a long sip.  
“Do you ah, _share a tent_ , if you catch my drift?”  
Moomin inhaled his beer. _Not again.  
_“What? No!” Moomin said between coughs. “We- we have our own tents!”  
“ _Really?_ ” She sounded unconvinced. “You sure you might not… _merge your tents?_ ”  
“I’m sure,” Moomin was blushing furiously. “We aren’t like that.”  
She cocked an eyebrow. “If you say so.” She left him to serve someone else.  
Moomin stared into his drink. Was he _that_ obvious? The lady had barely know him for thirty seconds! Moomin took a long swig of his beer.

He examined the wines on the shelf. There were so many. Which should he ask for?  
“Want suggestions?” A voice beside him said.  
Moomin jumped and turned to the man. He had messy black hair and tanned skin with freckles. He had a small nose like Snufkin’s.  
Moomin realized he had been staring. “Yes, please!” He squeaked, and blushed. Way to make a first impression.  
The man just smiled, his eyes crinkling. He was quite handsome. “What types of drinks do you like?”  
Moomin was again brought back to reality. “Sweet ones, I think.”  
“They have a lot of that here. I’ll ask for my favourite!” He called over the bartender and ordered something. Moomin watched Snufkin play in the meantime. It was obvious he was enjoying himself from the little dance he did as he played.

“Here you go,” the man gave Moomin a glass. “Cheers!”  
They clinked their glasses and Moomin took a sip. He frowned. “Oh, this isn’t wine.”  
“No, its blueberry liqueur,” the man said. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted wine.”  
“No, it’s fine! I just wasn’t expecting it. I guess I should have guessed from the colour.”  
“Yes, wine isn’t typically blue," he joked. "So, what do you think?”  
“I like it!” Moomin took another sip. “It’s maybe a bit too sweet for me though.”  
“When we’re finished this, we can try another that’s less sweet.”  
“Sure,” Moomin sipped again. “Are you from here?”  
“Sort of,” he said. “I moved here recently to help with my uncle’s farm.”  
“Oh? Where were you before?”  
“Oh, here and there. I travelled a lot with my friends, but I thought it was time I help my family and do some real work. Once things pick up at the farm, I’ll go on another trip. But that probably won’t be for a while.” He finished his drink and waved over the bartender for another. Moomin finished his as well.

“I’m guessing you’re not from here.” He passed Moomin another drink.  
“Nope, just visiting.” Moomin liked this one more, nodding appreciatively. It tasted like hazelnuts. It was still sweet but his teeth didn’t ache from it like the other.  
“And what brings you here? Adventure?” He paused. “Romance?” he added with a wink.  
Moomin blushed. “A little of both I suppose.”  
“Well you’ve come to the right place. It might not seem like it, but this town is perfect for adventure.”  
“Really? What sorts of things have happened?”  
“I’m so glad you asked,” his eyes twinkled. “Now where to start…”

***

Snufkin had to stop playing after the 7th song. He accepted a mug from Bug as he stepped off the stage. His eyes found Moomin at the bar and was about to call out to him but saw he was hitting it off with someone else.  
He gripped the beer tightly. He felt he might be sick.  
Bug gently grabbed his arm and steered him to a table.  
“Don’t worry about them,” Bug said softly. “I think we have some catching up to do!”  
Snufkin tore his eyes away and stared into his mug. He really looked miserable. He took a long drink.  
“Did I tell you about Fink and the mouse?” Bug asked quickly. Snufkin could tell Bug was trying to distract him. It was probably for the best.  
“No, what happened?”

Bug did manage to distract him for a while. Telling stories, and easing stories out of Snufkin. If not for the sinking feeling in his stomach, he might have forgotten what was wrong.

He took a sip of some mead one of the other customers had bought him as thanks for his playing. He didn't look at Moomin.  
“You know,” Bug started. “Moomin is quite nice, but I don’t know if I would say his fur _shines brighter than the sun_.”  
Snufkin nearly choked on his drink. “Did I say that?”  
He nodded. “Finkly thought maybe you had fallen in love with a faerie. Turns out you’re just a sap.”  
Snufkin pulled his hat down over his face and took a long drink.  
“But what did you mean by saying that _you could never be together_?”  
Snufkin squirmed uncomfortably. “It’s true.”  
“In _what_ way is it true?” Bug’s voice was too loud. Snufkin motioned him to be quieter.  
“Sorry,” he cleared his throat and continued more quietly. “You guys get along real well. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that you two were a couple already.”  
“We’re just… really good friends.” Snufkin muttered, basically hiding in his drink.  
“ _Really good friends_ don’t look at each other the way you two do.”  
“Moomin,” Snufkin faltered, then sighed. “He has a lot of love for everyone. I’m not special.”  
“You think you’re not special to him?”  
“I _am_ special to him, just not… romantically.”  
Bug sighed. “Look, you can’t know that without talking to him! But, if you wait too long, someone will take him away.”  
“That’s the point of us being here,” Snufkin muttered bitterly.  
“And you’re okay with that?”  
Snufkin nodded, even though he wasn’t.

“Good thing I guess, because it might already be too late.”  
Snufkin’s blood turned to ice. His head snapped up to see Moomin and that guy from earlier. They were _too_ close. And… Moomin wasn’t even interested in men! Right?  
He observed Moomin’s body language. He was definitely drunk. And this random guy was taking advantage of that. Snufkin wanted to go over there and rip Moomin out of his grasp.  
He shook his head. No, Moomin could handle himself.  
But he couldn’t stop watching.

***

“And then,” Moomin couldn’t stop laughing. “She bit his leg! And it came off!”  
“What? How?”  
“It turned out he was the runaway pirate all along!”  
“How did she know that?”  
“She didn’t, she just likes biting people.”  
Quinn, Moomin had learned his name, laughed at that, nearly spilling his drink. “Quite the handful, isn’t she?”  
“Yeah, but we love her all the same.”

Quinn turned out to be really cool. He had been on so many adventures with his friends. It reminded Moomin a little of his dad’s adventures. But he found himself having to push away comparisons to Snufkin that kept popping into his head. It wasn’t fair to Quinn.

But honestly, Quinn seemed like Moomin’s ideal type. He regularly went on adventures with friends, while also admitting that he would like to settle down with a family one day. That’s what Moomin wanted too, right?

Moomin was getting ahead of himself. He didn’t want the same thing that happened with Snorkmaiden to happen again. It wasn’t fair that he use someone else to distract himself from his heartbreak. If were to pursue Quinn, he would only do so when he had truly let go of Snufkin.

But the way Quinn absentmindedly stroked Moomin’s fur, saying he’d never seen a creature like him before, was making him reconsider. The alcohol wasn’t helping him rationalize.

“Where- where did you say you were from again?” Quinn said, brushing his fur the wrong way.  
Moomin shivered. “Moominvalley.”  
“Right, so you’re- you’re like a prince then?” Quinn laughed.  
“A prince, sure,” Moomin rolled his eyes. “I feel more like a princess sometimes. My room is even at the top of a tower.”  
“So, you’re just waiting for a prince to save you from your melancholy?”  
An image of Snufkin immediately came to mind, whistling from the bottom of his window. He forced the thought away.  
“I suppose I am.”  
Quinn was looking at him intently, with a heat behind his eyes that prevented Moomin from looking away.  
When had they gotten so close?

“Moomin,” he lowered his voice. “Have you noticed the interesting lights in here?”  
“…lights?”  
Quinn pointed up. Moomin looked up. He didn’t see anything-  
Oh hold on.  
Was Quinn…  
Was Quinn going to kiss him?

Before Moomin could decide whether or not he was willing, someone grabbed his paw and yanked him away.  
“Sorry, I need him!” Snufkin called as he dragged Moomin out of the bar.

The cool night air allowed Moomin's thoughts to return. He first felt embarrassed at Snufkin finding him in that position, but he had no reason to feel that way.  
Anyways, Snufkin seemed agitated. Something must have happened while Moomin was… _distracted_.

Snufkin dropped his paw once they got to a quiet street but didn’t look at Moomin.  
“Snufkin?” Moomin prodded gently.  
Snufkin turned around. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”  
Moomin cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, I’m fine.” Wasn’t _Snufkin_ the one who had a problem?  
“Good, good,” Snufkin shifted his weight from foot to foot. “It’s just that- he was going to kiss you.”  
“Oh.” Moomin flushed. “He was actually going to do it then.”  
Snufkin gave him a weird look. “Were you… okay with that?”  
Moomin blinked inquisitively. “Wasn’t that the whole point of coming here?” Was Moomin missing something? Was Quinn off-limits or something?  
Snufkin stared blankly at him. “You _wanted_ him to kiss you?”  
“Well, I don’t know.” Moomin was getting more and more flustered and confused. “I guess I would have liked to get to know him a little more first.”  
“But you… do you…” Snufkin struggled for a moment. “Do you like men?”  
“Yes. I like men.” Moomin deadpanned.  
“Oh,” Snufkin blinked. “I had no idea.”

Wait… _What?_

“You didn’t _know_?”  
“How was I supposed to?” Snufkin crossed his arms. “You never brought it up, and you’ve only been with Snorkmaiden.”  
_Maybe the fact that I’m in love with you was a clue!_

Hold on.  
Snufkin didn’t know.  
Snufkin didn’t know Moomin was in love with him.  
Then… what? Why were they here?

“I’m going for a walk.” Moomin left before Snufkin could say anything else. He needed to think.

He stopped when he found a fountain. He sat on the edge. He could just barely make out his conflicted expression in the water.

Snufkin didn’t know.  
He thought Moomin was heartbroken over Snorkmaiden.

Moomin sighed heavily.  
What a mess. Moomin came here to get over Snufkin, but it turns out he hadn’t even gotten rejected… all this drama for no reason.

Wait. Moomin perked up. Didn’t this mean that he had a chance?

No. Snufkin was in love with someone else. Moomin deflated.  
But didn’t he also say his love was unrequited? So maybe there was hope?  
But if it were anything like Moomin’s love, it wouldn’t be so easy to get over.

Moomin shook his head. Either way, he wouldn’t give up until he had gotten his feelings across.

Moomin dipped his paws in the water and watched himself disappear under the ripples. Even with his resolution tell Snufkin, he knew he wouldn’t be making any grand confessions any time soon. He was exhausted from the emotional whiplash from heartbroken to hopeful. Plus, he didn’t want to scare Snufkin off.

For now, he would test the waters, and wait for the best moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally they realized some things  
> ...but not all...
> 
> I might change my name to ILikeCorn... because I like corn... and corny things...  
> or.... mediumsnake.... or something......... idk........


	5. My Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is more alcohol in this chapter

Moomin approached the camp, tired of thinking and ready to get a good night’s sleep.  
“Moomin!” Snufkin immediately stood up from where he was sitting beside the dying fire.  
Moomin jumped, not having spotted him. “Snufkin! You’re still up.”  
“Huh? Yes, I’m up.” Snufkin fidgeted, looking from side to side nervously. “I’m sorry!”  
Moomin stopped on the opposite side of the fire. “Huh? Why?”  
“Why?” Snufkin faltered. “You’re not mad?”  
Moomin then realized that he had stormed off without explanation. No wonder Snufkin had looked so worried.

“Of course not,” Moomin said gently. “You were just looking out for me. I can’t be mad at you for that.”  
Snufkin breathed out a sigh of relief and collapsed back on the log. “Still, I should have trusted that you can look after yourself.”  
Moomin sat down as well. “Well, maybe it was good that you butted in. I hadn’t really decided if I liked him or not yet.”  
“He’ll probably be there tomorrow.” Snufkin poked the fire with a stick. “If you want to talk to him again.”  
“Oh, right.” Moomin really had no desire to pursue anyone else until he knew how Snufkin felt. But he couldn’t tell Snufkin this, so what could he do?  
Moomin watched the fire dwindle down to embers and decided it was a problem for tomorrow Moomin.

***

Snufkin woke Moomin up bright and early, claiming they had a lot of fish to catch. Moomin groggily did as he was told. Only when Snufkin asked him to bring the fish over to the fire did he realize he had caught three whole buckets worth.

“Are we having company over?” Moomin joked.  
“Yes, I’ve set up a table in my tent,” Snufkin said as he took one of the buckets. “I’m going to show you how to preserve them.” He gestured to a bucket of salt.  
“Where did that come from?”  
“I got it while you were fishing.”  
“Really?” Moomin looked up at the sky and realized the sun had moved quite a bit since the last he looked. It was probably around noon. “I must have really been out of it.”  
Snufkin smiled sympathetically. “I’ll make some coffee.”

Once they finished salting the fish, Snufkin showed Moomin how to make fish stew with some vegetables he got from the town.  
“You really survive off of fish the whole year round?” Moomin took a bite of the stew.  
“Are you complaining about the stew?”  
Moomin rolled his eyes. “I like the stew just fine, but I don’t think I could eat it every day.”  
Snufkin shrugged. “I’ve gotten used to it. Plus, it makes home cooked meals that much more of a treat.”  
“They don’t have to be a treat. You know there’s always a place at our table for you.”  
“Of course. But what if I forgot how to fish in the meanwhile?”  
“Please,” Moomin rolled his eyes. “I bet you could fish in your sleep.”  
“Snufkin shrugged. “In any case, I love fishing. It doesn’t make sense to fish if you’re not going to eat them.”  
“I suppose so…” Moomin took another bite and savoured the taste. “Surely you’ve found other fish recipes on your travels?”  
“I have, but most of them require ingredients and cookware that I don’t carry around with me.”  
“If you give us the recipes, maybe we could make it at home?”  
Snufkin chewed thoughtfully. “That could work.”  
They discussed possible recipes they could make. Some sounded complicated but Moomin was sure that with Moominmamma’s help, they could make anything.

They decided to go to Snufkin’s favourite shop after lunch.  
Moomin thought it might be neater on the inside, but he was wrong. Every surface was covered with various items that seemed to have nothing in common.  
“You can find almost anything here,” Snufkin said, examining a random pile.  
“Is it really possible to _find_ anything?” Moomin replied skeptically.  
“Well, not for me. For the shopkeeper, yes.”

“Have anything interesting to trade?” came a voice from behind. Moomin jumped, almost knocking over a pile. Where had he come from?  
The shopkeeper was a Hemul who seemed to be wearing every sort of accessory imaginable. Scarves, brooches, bracelets. He was even wearing both glasses and a monocle.  
“I have something,” Snufkin pulled out a rock from his pocket and handed it over. “It’s a fossil.”  
The Hemul examined it and shrugged. “Interesting enough, I suppose. What do you want for it?”  
“Not sure, yet. Moomin, let’s look around.”

Moomin was afraid to touch anything. Some of the items looked so delicate that he was scared just breathing on them would break them. Plus, he could feel the Hemul's eyes following him.

Snufkin called the shopkeeper over to ask about his new goods and Moomin was finally left to search on his own. He found a jewelry table. Most of the items looked far too fancy and expensive, but there were a few small pins and brooches that seemed adequately simple.  
He found himself draw to a blue bird pin. The blue was the same colour as Moominhouse.  
“That’s lovely, but where would you wear a pin?” Snufkin appeared out of nowhere.  
Moomin almost dropped it. “Right, I guess I couldn’t.” He put it down quickly. He had actually been picturing Snufkin wearing it, as a way to remember Moominvalley.

“Maybe getting you an accessory wouldn’t be a bad idea, though.” Snufkin examined the items on the table.  
“Don’t get something for me, it was your trade after all.”  
“Well…” Snufkin fiddled with a bracelet on the table. “I was hoping to get you a present actually. To remember this trip by.”  
Moomin was touched. He attempted to convince his fluttering heart that it was a perfectly platonic thing to do. “If it’s a present then you should pick it out.”  
“You might regret that decision,” Snufkin’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “What if I pick out something atrocious?”  
Moomin shrugged. He knew he would love it regardless. “Guess I’ll have to live with the consequences.”

Snufkin spent a long time feigning interest in a tie with a pattern that gave Moomin a headache.  
“If you like the tie so much, why don’t _you_ try it on?” Moomin suggested. Moomin laughed as Snufkin immediately put it down and walked away.

Moomin found a dusty mirror at the end of the shop, with a pile of funny looking glasses beside it.  
He couldn’t resist trying on a pair of bright yellow ones. He saw Snufkin walk up behind him.  
“Do these glasses make me look smart?” He stroked his chin.  
“Incredibly,” Snufkin replied sarcastically.  
Moomin took the glasses off and examined the pile.  
“What do you think of these?” Snufkin held out a pair of ribbons.  
Moomin examined them. They were shiny and bright blue. He took the ribbons and tied them around his ears. He used to love wearing ribbons as a kid, he can’t remember why he stopped.  
Wait. It was because Little My made fun of him for being girly.  
Well he was an adult now so he could wear ribbons if he wanted!

“What do you think?” Moomin turned to Snufkin.  
“They look nice on you.” Snufkin glanced at Moomin, then quickly looked away. “They match your eyes.”  
Moomin flushed. Had Snufkin been picturing Moomin’s eyes when he picked out the ribbons?  
Moomin stopped his train of thought before he could get too flustered. He looked at himself in the mirror again. He quite liked the way he looked. “Are you sure you want to trade for these?”  
Snufkin reflection smiled warmly at him. “I’m sure.”

The shopkeeper agreed that the trade was fair and so Moomin left the shop adorned with his new accessory.

Snufkin offered to let Moomin read in the library while he did some errands but Moomin insisted on accompanying him. Good thing too, because it turned out Snufkin’s errands consisted of carrying fish all over town and trading for various fruits and vegetables.  
“You really don’t have to carry _everything_ ,” Snufkin said as he tried to take a box of fruit from Moomin.  
“Paws off!” Moomin raised the box out of Snufkin's range. “What am I going to do if we’re in a wilderness crisis and your arms are too weak to get us out of it?”  
“A wilderness crisis?” Snufkin raised an eyebrow.  
“Yes, you heard me.”  
Snufkin rolled his eyes but let him be after that.

Snufkin took some time to himself afterwards, which Moomin respected as they’d basically been together 24/7 for a week.

Moomin considered exploring the town a bit more but was tired and instead decided to stay at their camp and make some crafts. Unfortunately, the tasks allowed for his mind to wander, which of course meant they wandered to Snufkin. He kept working himself up, imagining different scenarios and possible outcomes of his eventual confession. He couldn’t help imagining scenarios where Snufkin expressed disgust at Moomin and harshly rejected him. He knew this reaction would be very out of character but he couldn’t push the idea out of his mind.  
Indulging in scenarios where Snufkin said _‘I love you too, Moomin’_ seemed even more out of character. He tried to picture what would happen after but couldn’t push his fantasies further than simply holding hands without getting extremely flustered.

By the time Snufkin came back for dinner, Moomin had managed to make a necklace out of fish bones and fishing wire, as well as a small basket made of twigs.  
Snufkin was in a quiet mood, something obviously stewing in his mind. Moomin was fine with the silence, more than happy to simply be by his side.

After dinner, they made their way to the bar. Snufkin was in a more talkative mood by then, expressing excitement that Finkly was going to play his fiddle that evening.  
“It’s sure to be busy today,” Snufkin said. “Today, you’ll meet a lot of people and this time I won’t ruin your chances.”  
Oh right. He was supposed to be flirting with people. “Right, great.” Moomin had forgotten to think of a way out of it.  
Snufkin smiled sympathetically. “Don’t worry. You’re great at talking to people and making friends. I’m sure it will go great.”  
Moomin certainly could be talkative sometimes but…  
Wait. That was it! He would be the _worst_ at flirting! Oblivious and oafish! He wouldn’t be meeting any love interests that night! “You’re right. I have nothing to worry about!”

When they entered the bar, they were met with the music of a fiddle and the swell of conversation. Some people were dancing, some were playing games, some just talking and making merry.  
The atmosphere filled Moomin with energy. It was the type of night he heard about in stories, where something interesting was bound to happen.  
And there was so much to do! But what first? Perhaps he could convince Snufkin to dance!

“There’s your guy from yesterday,” Snufkin interrupted his thoughts. He pointed to Quinn, who was watching a card game.  
Ah. Moomin deflated. He hadn’t figured out what he was going to say to him.  
“You go on, I’m going to see if I can play a few songs with Finkly.” Snufkin smiled encouragingly.  
Moomin _really_ didn’t want to talk to him. What was he supposed to say? ‘ _Sorry. You’re cool but Snufkin is cooler_.’ Bad idea.  
Still, he probably owed him an apology.

Moomin made his way over. When Quinn noticed him approaching, Moomin gave a sheepish wave, to which Quinn answered with an unimpressed look.  
“Hi Quinn,” Moomin said awkwardly. “So I um…”  
“Let’s talk over here.”  
Moomin followed him to a quiet corner, or at least, quieter than where they’d been before.

“You didn’t tell me you were taken,” Quinn leaned against the wall, his face carefully blank.  
Moomin stiffened, unable to prevent his face from heating. “Oh- I’m not! Well… not really, I mean-”  
Quinn’s face morphed to confused. “You’re not with that guy?”  
“Well, um, no.”  
Quinn gave him a long scrutinizing look. “But you want to be, don’t you?”  
Moomin stared at his fidgeting paws. “I…” He might as well be honest. “Yes,” he looked straight at Quinn. “Until yesterday, I thought I didn’t have a chance with him, but now I know there is a small chance, so I have to go for it,” Moomin said quickly. “I really _was_ interested in you yesterday and I didn’t mean to lead you on, so, I’m sorry.”  
Quinn looked surprised. He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “It’s alright. I can tell you didn’t mean any harm.” He looked out into the room. Moomin followed his gaze to where Snufkin was playing the harmonica.  
Quinn pushed himself off the wall. “Well, I wish you the best of luck.”  
“Thanks,” Moomin replied weakly as Quinn sauntered off into the room. Moomin still thought he was cool. He hoped they could be friends one day.

Well! Moomin clapped his hands. Now that that awkwardness was over, he was going to find Snufkin again.

He made his way over to where him and Finkly were playing. People were dancing in front of them so Moomin stood off to the side and clapped along with the music.  
Snufkin caught sight of him at the end of the song and gave him a quizzical look, looking pointedly at Quinn, then back.  
Moomin tried to mime that it was hard to explain, but of course that was also hard to mine.  
Snufkin shook his head, started making his way over to Moomin.

“Moomin!” Moomin turned to see the Hemul girl from the previous day. She was with a shorter girl, whose long Fillyjonk like nose was almost longer than the rest of her body. As she introduced herself, Moomin shot Snufkin a look. Snufkin nodded, gave him a thumbs up, then turned back to Finkly.  
No! That wasn’t what Moomin wanted!  
He turned back to the girls. _Right. Remember the plan._ He just had to be utterly unflirty and boring! What could he say that would instantly turn them off? His eyes roamed over the pair and were caught by the Hemul’s bulb like red earrings.  
“Your earrings are so shiny! I bet they’d make a great fishing lure!” There! Girls hated being compared to fishing things! He knew that from Snorkmaiden… actually maybe she didn’t like it because she knew he was thinking about Snufkin when he said it.  
“You really think so?” She fiddled with one of the earrings. “But they don’t have eyes.”  
“Fish don’t have eyes either!” The girl other piped up.  
“Have you ever seen a fish? Of course they have eyes!”  
“Not good ones! I don’t believe anyone can see underwater anyways.”  
“You can with a good pair of goggles,” Moomin added.  
“Fish don’t wear goggles!”  
“But their eyes are made for water.” The Hemul widened her eyes, imitating a fish.  
“If fish can see underwater then why do they always bump into my legs!”  
“Probably because they aren’t smart,” Moomin said.  
“I’ll say!” huffed the long-nosed girl. “I’ve caught some with my bare hands before!”

The conversation then delved into how to catch a fish by hand, then the weirdest fish they’d ever seen, then whether or not they believed in sea creatures then-

“There you two are!” The Hemul’s sister appeared between them suddenly. “Come on, I just found auntie’s secret stash! We can finally make the rainbow worm cocktail!”  
“Oh, see you later Moomin!” The Hemul called as she was dragged off.  
Moomin watched amused as they snuck into the back room. What an interesting pair... Wait. He had been supposed to break off the conversation.  
Moomin shrugged. They didn’t seem to be interested in Moomin romantically anyways.  
No matter, now he could finally get back to Snufkin.

He turned around and promptly bumped into someone.  
“Oh, I am so sorry!” Moomin said to a dripping young Hemul holding a, now empty, beer mug. “I wish I could buy you another, but I haven’t any money.”  
“No money?” He grinned mischievously. “Well, there are ways around that.” He grabbed Moomin’s arm and let him to a corner of the room. He set a hat down in front of Moomin.  
“Okay now! Show us your talent!” He laughed but it wasn’t mean spirited. He was obviously having a little fun. Then maybe Moomin should too. But what could he do?

He was sure singing would get him a good laugh. He was famously bad at flubbing the lyrics of any song, making them much funnier than they were supposed to be. But there was already music playing. Then a dance perhaps? But Moomin was no good at dancing except for- oh! Of course!

There was a little jig that his family had made up that looked quite impressive, but it was actually very simple. Everyone in Moominvalley knew the trick, but here…

He stood in front of the hat and struck a pose, waiting for the music to reach the chorus and when it did-  
he danced. The jig made it look like you were almost floating, which was quite a feat for someone of his size. The Hemul laughed in delight, gathering the attention of those around them.

Of course, once the song was over, he was bought several drinks with demands that he show them again. At first he denied the requests to teach them, swearing it was a secret of his valley (Snufkin’s dramatics may have been wearing off on him) but after a few drinks, he agreed to show them the dance. Although by that time, he was having trouble doing it himself.

At one point, he announced he needed to sit down and _finally_ made his way back to Snufkin.

Snufkin was taking a break from playing the harmonica and was sitting by himself. When he saw Moomin approaching, Snufkin greeted him with a warm smile, making butterflies erupt in his stomach.

“The people here have so much energy!” Moomin squished himself up against Snufkin.  
“You seemed to fit right in.” Snufkin’s face was flushed. Moomin wondered if he’d had as much to drink as him.  
“Yeah...” Moomin looked out at the room. It was exciting in a way he had never known before. So many people he didn’t know. So many possible friends. “You could have danced with us, since you know the steps.”  
“I didn’t want to upstage you.”  
“Oh?” Moomin turned to him. “You think you can do it better than me?” Moomin jumped up and stumbled a little.  
“I think you’re much too drunk to make challenges.” Snufkin got up nonetheless and proceeded to trip over his own feet. Moomin caught him easily.  
“Oh, _I’m_ too drunk?”  
“Shut up,” Snufkin laughed. His eyes shone with mirth, the barest hint of teeth showing through his grin. Moomin couldn't stop staring. If he pulled a little, Snufkin would fall into his arms and Moomin could hold him close and and see if his face was as warm as it looked.

He swallowed and righted Snufkin. He wouldn’t risk it. Not yet.  
“Shall we?” Moomin asked.  
Snufkin nodded.

A moment later they were both tripping over their feet, grasping at each other so they didn’t fall. They tried again and stumbled again. The fact that they were shaking with laughter didn’t help their balance.

“Maybe,” Snufkin said between giggles. “Maybe we should choose something easier.”  
“Easier for you?” Moomin accused jokingly. “I don’t think so!”  
“No, easier for both of us,” Snufkin stopped dancing. “One of us is going to break something if we keep this up.”  
“Alright,” Moomin relented. “What did you have in mind?”  
“Well,” Snufkin bit his lip in thought. The music changed then, to something slower. “Oh, I know.”  
Snufkin took Moomin’s arm and guided it to his waist. Moomin’s mind immediately went blank. Snufkin clasped his other paw with his own and coaxed them into a dance. Ah, a waltz.

“Weren’t we supposed to be competing?” Moomin said once his brain had finally returned.  
“It can still be a competition.”  
“Ah yes? How?”  
“Whoever dances the best, of course.”  
“A bit hard to tell when we’re dancing together.”  
“Whoever sweeps the other off their feet, then.” Snufkin winked.  
“In that case,” Moomin picked Snufkin up and spun them in a circle before putting him back down. “I think I win.”  
“Um,” Snufkin’s face was beet red. Ah, was he dizzy?  
“Sorry,” Moomin said sheepishly.

“No, er,” Snufkin ducked his head down so his hat hid his face. “You’re right. You definitely won.” But he made no move to step away, so Moomin slowly resumed their dance. Eventually Snufkin looked up again, the unhealthy red colour of his face having faded away, leaving only his cheeks stained. Moomin had to fight himself not to nuzzle them. The shy smile Snufkin was wearing didn't help his struggle.

The song ended and a new livelier one began. There was no longer an excuse to be holding Snufkin, so Moomin let his hands linger for a moment before letting go, immediately mourning the warmth.

“Ah, just when I got some beers!” Bug shouted from beside them, shoving a couple of mugs into their hands. “Don’t let these go to waste. I must dance!” He leapt into the fray, where some big group dance was starting. Snufkin shrugged and they made their way back to their table.

There was plenty of room for both of them on the bench but Moomin sidled right up to Snufkin. Snufkin didn’t move away so Moomin considered it a win.

“Has your opinion on beer changed?” Snufkin asked, taking a sip.  
Moomin also took a drink. “Yeah, I think I like it a bit now.”  
“That’s usually what happens after a few drinks. I know when I’m drunk, my taste isn’t as good.”  
Moomin leaned forward. “Does that mean I have a chance with you now?” He winked.  
Snufkin gaped at him.  
Oh. Why did he say that? It was much too soon for flirting!  
As if finally registering the words, Snufkin’s face turned red. “You- I’m- that’s _my_ line!”  
Moomin flushed. Maybe it wasn’t too soon. “ _Please,_ ” Moomin drawled. “You’re the mysterious boy with tales and songs from all over the world. Who could be better than that?”  
“The boy with a heart of gold, who feels like home, that’s who.” Snufkin met Moomin’s gaze.

Moomin's breath left him. That had been quite a... heartfelt statement.  
He needed a witty reply, but the desire to lean forward and bump their noses together was strong and muddled his thoughts.

“I suppose we’re two different types,” Snufkin turned to look at his beer. Moomin cursed himself for not saying something sooner. The moment was ruined.  
But different types?  
 _Am I your type?_ Moomin wanted to ask. Then he remembered that Snufkin had someone he loved, and his good mood was lost.  
“Will you tell me about him?” Moomin asked before he could stop himself. “The one you love.”  
Snufkin stiffened.  
“Sorry, I know I shouldn’t ask.”  
“No, it’s alright. He…” Snufkin looked at the dancing group. “He’s _beautiful._ He… he brings warmth to all, like the sun. And he’s _so_ far out of my league.”  
Moomin swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. “Then why not do what I’m doing?” Moomin hoped he sounded casual. “Find someone new.”  
Snufkin huffed out a sad laugh and shook his head. “It would be the same.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I’m really not the sort who should be in a relationship,” he said to his mug.  
Moomin’s stomach sunk. “You don’t want a relationship?”  
“It’s not that…” Snufkin sighed. “Do you think anyone could be happy with me? When I would always leave them to explore the world?”  
Moomin’s heart broke. “Of course, Snufkin. You mustn’t think like that.” He gently put his paw on Snufkin’s arm.  
Snufkin shook his head again. “It’s just unrealistic. That there’s someone out there who would always wait for me.”  
“ _I_ wait for you,” Moomin said without thinking.  
Snufkin shyly raised his gaze from his mug to look at Moomin thoughtfully. “Yeah… you do.”

Snufkin’s eyes were suddenly caught on something above Moomin. He slowly raised his paws to whatever it was, leaning in closer. His paws brushed Moomin’s ear, which instantly felt like it was on fire. “Your ribbon is coming loose.”  
“Oh,” was all Moomin could say, his mind full of the feeling of Snufkin’s paws on his ears.

“Don’t you think you’d get tired?” Snufkin’s asked, his voice holding some emotion Moomin couldn’t name. “Of waiting for me?”  
“Never,” Moomin breathed. “It’s like I said before. You’re my moon.”  
Snufkin traced his ear, making a shiver run down Moomin’s spine, before letting his paws fall.  
“Your moon?” He was close enough that Moomin could feel his breath against his snout.  
“You’re not always here, but I know you’ll be back and I’ll be able to cherish you another day.”  
Snufkin’s eyes widened, his cheeks reddening.

“If I’m your moon,” he spoke so low it was almost a whisper. “Will you be my Moom?”  
“Your… Moom?”  
A shy smile fought its way on to Snufkin’s face. “Yes, my Moom… My Moomin.” He averted his eyes, seemingly aware of what a strange thing to say it was.  
And even though it was silly, Moomin was deeply touched. _His Moomin_. “I would love to be.”  
Snufkin’s eyes came back to Moomin’s. His smile melted into something warm and genuine- and how could Moomin see a face like that and not immediately kiss it.

So he did.

Moomin moved closer, so that his snout was a hair away from Snufkin’s nose. Snufkin’s eyes widened, his smile fading, but he didn’t move away, so Moomin took the chance.

He, ever so gently, nuzzled Snufkin’s cheeks. He felt Snufkin inhale sharply through his mouth. His face was soft and hot.  
As Moomin’s nose found Snufkin’s temple, Snufkin cautiously reciprocated, pushing his face deeper into Moomin’s fur.

Moomin felt some deep part of him uncoil. He had wanted this for _so_ long and he didn’t know what to do with himself now that it was happening.

He moved to Snufkin’s neck, inhaling deeply. He smelt of smoke and pine and- _Snufkin_. Snufkin breathed a little laugh, such a lovely little sound that set Moomin’s blood on fire. He moved back to Snufkin’s cheek. Snufkin turned his head so his nose dragged across the tip of Moomin’s snout, sending a shiver all the way down to his toes. He felt himself go a little light-headed.

Snufkin pulled back then. Moomin had to physically restrain himself from following. He was again smiling that lovely fond smile, his cheeks painted red.  
Moomin hoped his face didn’t show how obviously lovestruck he felt.

Snufkin’s smile faded slightly, nervousness creeping in. Moomin started to worry something was wrong before he saw Snufkin’s paws slowly rise up to cradle Moomin’s face. He carefully pushed Moomin’s snout upwards. Moomin readily complied.

Moomin’s heart thudded in his chest in anticipation. He couldn’t see Snufkin. He could only feel his paws press a little deeper into his fur.  
And then-

Snufkin’s lips gently pressed to his. It wasn’t anything like a Moomin kiss, but it felt… very nice.

It was over too soon.  
“Was that okay?” Snufkin’s breath tickled Moomin’s lips. His brain was so muddled he almost forgot to utter a soft “Yes.”  
Snufkin hesitated, then brought their lips together again.  
His lips were _so_ soft. Before he could smell Snufkin but now he could taste him. A taste much sweeter than anything he had ever know.

A part of him felt that they weren’t close enough. He unconsciously put his paws on Snufkin’s waist and pulled him a little closer so he could feel Snufkin against his chest. Snufkin hummed in surprise at the action, making Moomin’s stomach turn pleasantly.  
Snufkin moved his hands through Moomin’s fur. His skin tingled pleasantly as they passed.  
Moomin stroked Snufkin’s waist. Snufkin gasped softly, his parted lips making Moomin feel dizzy. He hesitantly parted his, slotting their lips together in a new gratifying way.

Then there was a thump. Snufkin pulled away slightly.  
Moomin had knocked over his mug. It was too late to save it though, the floor had already drunk the beer.  
Moomin turned back to Snufkin, eager to return to their previous… activity. But Snufkin was still staring at the mug.  
“We… drank a lot.” Snufkin said finally.  
“Yes,” Moomin said. “I suppose.”  
“We should go back to camp.” Snufkin removed himself from Moomin’s arms, leaving him feeling empty.

Snufkin kept a decent distance between them as they walked back. Moomin was inwardly panicking, trying to think of something to say that would fix whatever was wrong.  
 _What happened to taking it slow?_ He berated himself. He hadn’t meant to get so carried away.  
Had he pushed Snufkin into something he didn’t want? Should he apologize?

They reached their campsite before Moomin could figure something out. Snufkin unzipped his tent.  
“Snufkin,” Moomin said before he went inside.  
“Hm?”  
Moomin faltered. “Are we okay?”  
Snufkin turned back and smiled. “Of course.” He looked sad. “Goodnight.” He went into his tent.  
“Goodnight,” Moomin said.

Moomin lay on his sleeping bag and stared at the canvas. Were things really fine between them?  
He didn’t understand what had happened. The night had been going so well. Snufkin certainly seemed to have enjoyed the kiss.

_This kiss…  
_ Moomin brought a paw up to his lips and sighed dreamily at the memory. He had had no idea a kiss could feel that way. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to go on knowing how it felt to kiss him, if it wouldn’t happen again.

They’d talk about it tomorrow, Moomin decided. His stomach twisted nervously at the thought.  
It took him a while but he eventually fell asleep, half his dreams about kissing Snufkin, and the other half about possibly disastrous conversations they could have the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> imma just pretend to know what im talking about lmao
> 
> next chapter will probably be short. i dont think i can milk this much longer
> 
> I haven't given the Hemul girl a name and its too late now so whoops
> 
> idk if u can even waltz to fiddle music but whatever, they'd make it work


	6. Going in Circles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long I got pretty sick last week :/
> 
> I finally changed my name from lilsnake to SpeedOfSnake  
> Also I made a Moomin side blog: over-the-moom. I'll probably just reblog stuff but maybe I'll post prompts idk

Snufkin couldn’t sleep.

He lay curled up on his side, staring at the tent zipper, trying not to think about everything that happened that day.

_The way Moomin smiled at him when he gave him the ribbons. Moomin lifting him off the ground. Moomin kissing him..._

Snufkin pushed the memory away and a wave of guilt washed over him.

Moomin had been incredibly drunk and Snufkin had taken advantage of him. But he hadn’t meant to!

While Moomin had been the one to initiate the kiss- Snufkin quickly squashed the butterflies in his stomach at the memory- he never would have done so if Snufkin hadn’t manipulated him. After all, Moomin had shown no interest in Snufkin before this trip. Then after listening to Snufkin wallow in heartbreak, Moomin suddenly decides to kiss him?

Moomin obviously felt pity over Snufkin’s unrequited love and figured the easiest thing for both of them would be to find solace in each other.  
It was so tempting.  
But he couldn’t.  
He couldn’t trap Moomin in a relationship that he didn’t want. It wouldn’t end well.

He curled in tighter on himself. He shouldn’t have let himself indulge.  
And yet Moomin had held him so lovingly and Snufkin fit so nicely against him.

_What if_? A tiny voice inside of him said. _What if he meant it?  
_Snufkin shook his head.  
They’d know each other for… how many years? And it was just a coincidence that Moomin started showing interest in him right after his break up?  
No.  
If Moomin was actually interested in Snufkin, he would have expressed it before.

Snufkin closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

At least he got to kiss him once.

***

Snufkin tossed and turned all night long. When the first rays of sun hit his tent, he knew wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. The first breath of cold autumn air made him feel a little better, but his heart still lay heavy in his chest.

Snufkin made a fire but didn’t bother cooking anything as he had no appetite.  
He simply stared into the flames, trying to find better ways of wording what he would need to say to Moomin.

Eventually Moomin’s tent unzipped and Snufkin felt lead drop into his stomach. He wasn’t ready.  
“Snufkin!” Moomin’s voice was surprised. “Good morning.”  
“Morning.” Snufkin didn’t look at Moomin.

Moomin didn’t move. Snufkin hated the tense atmosphere.

“I’m sorry for last night,” Snufkin forced out.  
“Why are you apologizing?“ Moomin almost sounded angry. “You didn’t do anything wrong.“  
Snufkin refrained from groaning. _Please just accept the apology._ “I took advantage of you.”  
“Took-? I kissed you first!” Moomin sounded affronted.  
Snufkin sighed. “You were drunk.”  
“Yes, and now I’m sober, and I regret nothing!”  
“Well, _I_ regret it.” Snufkin winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth.  
“Oh,” Moomin lost his fire completely. “I see.”  
He hadn’t meant it like that. Snufkin made the mistake of looking up and Moomin’s expression broke his heart.

“I should be the one apologizing then,” Moomin said. “For forcing you into it.”  
“No! You-” Snufkin clicked his tongue irritably. “You didn’t force me into anything.”  
“Then what’s the problem?”  
Snufkin took a deep breath. “Why did you kiss me?”  
“I… I-I mean,” Moomin faltered. “I just thought that, maybe, since we’re in the same boat, we could, I don’t know… be together?”  
Snufkin sighed again. It was as he thought. “You’re just choosing the easy way out.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Moomin crossed his arms.  
“You don’t _actually_ like me!” Snufkin stared at the fire. “You’re picking me because you know me. I’m familiar. It’s easy.”  
Moomin was quiet for a long moment. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
“Don’t I?” Snufkin picked his fishing rod off the ground and stood up. “The one you love is Snorkmaiden and I’m _nothing_ like her. I don’t live in a house. I can’t cook. I don’t collect seashells.”  
“Snufkin…” Moomin sounded exasperated.  
“Settling for me won’t make you happy,” he made his way past Moomin so he could get to the stream. “You deserve someone you love.”

Moomin grabbed his sleeve. “It’s not her!”  
Snufkin tried to pull away. “Moomin, let me go.”  
“It’s not Snorkmaiden!”  
Snufkin paused in his struggle. “What isn’t Snorkmaiden?”  
Moomin sighed and closed his eyes, looking at if the words were painful to say. “The person I’m heartbroken over. It’s not her.”  
Just like that, Snufkin’s world was flipped on its head. He stared at Moomin. “But… you were dating her.”  
“If you could call what we were doing _dating_.” Moomin let go. “It was more of a game really. We broke up because neither of us were into it and… because I was in love with someone else.  
Snufkin’s mind was reeling. “Then… then who?”  
Moomin grabbed his own arm self-consciously. “Really Snufkin, who could it possibly be?”  
And there really was only one answer.

“Me?” Snufkin squeaked, disbelieving.  
Moomin looked off to the side and nodded.

It was _Snufkin_? But how? Moomin didn’t… he was heartbroken? Why?  
“That- at the party- you were crying because of me?”  
Moomin stiffened. “Yes, well, I’d thought you rejected me. Now I know it was a misunderstanding but- don’t feel bad about that anyways.”

Snufkin was having a lot of difficulty wrapping his head around the idea. Moomin... loved _Snufkin?_ He _loved_ him? _Moomin_ did?

“But listen. I’m- I know you don’t feel the same way. But yesterday, I thought… I thought maybe we could try- if you were interested.” Moomin made a frustrated noise. “My point is, if you’re going to reject me, then fine. But don’t do it because you think you’re doing me some favour, because you’re not!”

Snufkin barely comprehended Moomin’s words, still caught on the fact that _Moomin loved him.  
_Then it registered.  
Moomin loved Snufkin.

He covered his mouth in shock as a wave of heat washed over him. He must have been as red as a strawberry.  
Moomin loved him.

_This changes everything._  
Moomin loved Snufkin. Even though he went away for months at a time. Even though they were so different. Moomin loved him.  
Moomin wasn’t settling for Snufkin… he loved him.

“Look, just think about it okay?” Moomin picked up Snufkin’s fishing rod- he didn’t notice he’d dropped it- and handed it back to him.  
“Yeah…” Snufkin stared blankly at Moomin. “What?”  
“Just-” he rubbed his eyes. “I’m sure you need some time alone to think, so why don’t you go fish?”  
Snufkin stared at the fishing rod. He didn’t want to fish. He had to tell Moomin he felt the same. “I don’t want to fish.” He sighed internally. He had meant to say the other thing.  
“Right,” Moomin sounded strained. “You don’t have to fish but-”  
“I want you.” Snufkin flushed all over again. Why didn’t he think about what he was going to say before he said it?  
Moomin just looked confused. “You want me… to fish?”  
“No.” Snufkin took a deep breath. It was simple. Just tell Moomin he loves him. “Moomin, I’m in love.” _So close.  
_“Yes… I know.” Moomin sighed, sounding sad again.  
“With you.” _There we go!  
_Moomin stared at him blankly. “What?”  
“I’m in love… with you. I love you.” It was easier saying it the second time. He dropped the fishing rod and stepped closer. “Moomin, I love you.”  
Moomin jumped, seeming to finally understand the words. “What? You- wait, no, what about that other guy? The unrequited one?”  
“It’s you. I thought… I thought you loved Snorkmaiden so…” Snufkin trailed off.  
“You… love me?” Moomin’s brows furrowed. Snufkin could almost see the gears turning in his head. He seemed to be going through the same process as Snufkin had earlier.  
“I love you.” He rested his forehead on Moomin’s snout.  
Moomin’s eyes widened, finally understanding. “You really? You love me?”  
“Yes, with all my heart,” Snufkin said he nuzzled Moomin’s cheeks.

Moomin leaned into the motion. Snufkin cupped Moomin’s face, petting the soft fur there.  
Snufkin had a thought. Moomin had seemed to like it the day before but what if he… He gently brought Moomin’s snout to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the side of it. He felt Moomin shudder as he dragged his lips across the end of his snout, pressing kisses as he went along.  
“Snuff…” Moomin said breathlessly.  
“Hm?” Snufkin smiled against his snout.  
“I love you.”  
Oh, how those words filled his heart. He pulled back to admire Moomin’s face. “I love you too.”  
Moomin’s crescent moon eyes gazed lovingly at Snufkin. “Can I kiss you?”  
_You never have to ask._ Snufkin thought, but instead said “Yes.”  
Moomin rested his hands on Snufkin jaw, fitting his thumbs along his pulse.

Snufkin closed his eyes and waited. Moomin’s mouth found his cheek a moment later. Snufkin grinned. It seemed aiming was difficult for Moomin.  
“Oh hush,” Moomin whispered. Moomin’s finger brushed Snufkin’s lips and his breath caught, amusement making way for want. Thankfully, Moomin’s lips found his a moment later.

For the second time, Snufkin was overcome by how tender the kiss was. Moomin's lips were pressed gently against his in a way that made him melt.

Moomin’s thumb stroked his pulse. Snukin’s heart was going crazy but he didn’t care if Moomin could feel it.

He buried his fingers deeper into Moomin’s fur and tried to bring them closer. Moomin removed one hand from his face and trailed it down his back until it reached the middle. He pulled so they were flush. Snufkin couldn’t help himself from smiling. Moomin smiled too and broke the kiss. Snufkin felt so happy. He almost felt delirious.

Once he was able to suppress his smile, he opened his mouth to say... _something_ but Moomin's lips were back before he could say it. He wound up kissing Snufkin’s bottom lip but repositioned so their lips were slotted comfortably together. Snufkin hummed in approval. Moomin tilted his head, making a shiver run down his spine.

His hands explored the fur on Moomin's head until they found his ears. Moomin sighed contentedly as he scratched behind him. When he ran his fingers along the edge, Moomin gasped and gripped Snufkin tighter. He repeated the action, earning a whine from Moomin, before burying his hands in the fur of Moomin’s neck.

His own neck was starting to hurt from craning it. They’d have to find a better way of doing this. Maybe if one of them lay down… that was a nice thought…

He pulled away and buried his head into the fur around Moomin’s neck. Moomin’s arms looped around him and squeezed.  
“We’ve been quite silly haven’t we?” Snufkin felt the rumble of Moomin’s voice.  
“Yes, but we got there eventually,” Snufkin sighed happily.

Snufkin would have been content to stand there forever but Moomin’s grumbling stomach suggested they get some food.  
Moomin pulled away far enough that he could look at Snufkin. “Time for fish?”  
“Time for fish.” Snufkin kissed Moomin’s snout – _he couldn’t believe he got to do that now_ \- before letting go and grabbing his rod.

“Are you coming?” Snufkin asked after taking a few steps.  
“Oh! Yes of course!” Moomin rushed to his side. Snufkin decided not to mention that he forgot his fishing rod and instead grabbed Moomin’s hand. He was happy to do the fishing for both of them.

They spent the rest of the day wrapped up in each other. They opted to take a long nap together over doing anything else, as neither of them had slept well the night before.

As night fell they decided to go to town in hopes of finding Bug. Snufkin admitted that after all the support he’d offered, he deserved to know of their relationship.

They found Bug and Finkly at the bar enjoying a few mugs of cider. Finkly congratulated them warmly and wished them all the best. Bug however…

Their plans of a relaxing evening went out the window when Bug loudly announced he would buy a round for the happy couple, which sparked a chain reaction amongst the patrons of the bar. Many drinks were promised to them, along with congratulations and shouts of “About time!”, much to Snufkin’s embarrassment.

“Oh, you should have heard him!” Bug wrapped an arm around Snufkin’s shoulders. “All the pining he did over you! Always talking about how wonderful and handsome you are!”  
Snufkin realized with horror that there was nothing preventing Bug from revealing all this things he’d said about Moomin over the years.  
“And there was that one time that- hey where are you going?”  
Snufkin had pulled Moomin out of his seat and brought him to the other side of the room.  
"I'm sorry but I must dance with my new boyfriend!" Snufkin announced dramatically.  
“But there’s no music!” Bug protested.  
“FInkly! Would you do the honours?”  
“My pleasure,” said Finkly, to the dismay of his partner.

The fuss over Snufkin and Moomin’s relationship was temporarily forgotten as many bodies joined in.

“You know,” Moomin said as they began dancing. “Maybe I’ll come back here in the winter, if I can’t sleep.”  
“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Snufkin said warmly. “I can tell the people here are already fond of you.”  
“Oh yes, I’m quite fond of them as well! Plus,” Moomin’s eyes glinted mischievously. “I’m looking forward to Bug’s stories about you.”  
Snufkin gaped. “You wouldn’t dare.”  
Moomin twirled him in response, never losing his playful look.  
“Well- then I’ll ask…” Who would Moomin have confided in? “Little My! And Snorkmaiden!”  
Moomin faltered in his steps. “You really think I’d talk to my ex-girlfriend about it?”  
“Judging by that reaction, yes.”  
Moomin narrowed his eyes. “ _Fine_ ,” he relented. “I won’t ask.” He pulled Snufkin close. “But what he tells me of his own volition is another thing.”  
“Same goes for Snorkmaiden.” He pecked Moomin’s snout.

“Okay enough of that mush!” Bug appeared between them. “You’re joining the group dance!”

Bug stole Moomin away and Snufkin was left with another partner. He prayed that Bug wouldn’t tell Moomin something incriminating. Judging by the kiss Moomin planted on him when they reunited, he couldn't have said anything too bad.

The pair danced for several hours but eventually got tired. They were able to sneak out during a particularly rowdy card game.  
After walking for some minutes, they found themselves sitting on the edge of a fountain.

“Our timing is really bad,” Snufkin sighed. “I have to leave for winter soon.” He kicked the water and watched the ripples made by the little dropplets. He half expected Moomin to revert to his old attitude, begging that Snufkin stay for the winter. Instead, when he looked up, he was met by Moomin’s soft smile.  
“Then you’ll have a lot to look forward to when you come back,” he said, bringing Snufkin’s hand to his mouth and kissing it.  
Snufkin forgot how to speak for a moment. “And you?”  
“My dreams will be that much sweeter,” he kissed his hand again. “Because I know you’ll come back to me.”  
Snufkin pressed his forehead to Moomin's. “I will. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> Thank you for reading! AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE COMMENTS! Seriously made my day every time. Gave me motivation to keep writing. Seriously <3 y’all.
> 
> Imma try to take a break from writing I think even tho my brain keeps giving me fic ideas :/
> 
> Also when I originally thought of this fic, this was the way I envisioned the confession scene (but I decided to prolong the whole ordeal instead)  
> *Random night at camp*  
> Moomin: Will you tell me about the person you like?  
> Snufkin: He’s great. Too bad it’s unrequited :/  
> Moomin: How do you know it’s unrequited?  
> Snufkin: Cause he’s straight.  
> Moomin: Are you sure? You could be wrong. I mean, some people assume I’m straight.  
> Snufkin: Ur not straight?  
> Moomin: No?  
> Snufkin: :o  
> Moomin: Who did you think I was in love with?  
> Snufkin: Snorkmaiden?  
> Moomin: No.  
> Snufkin: :o  
> Moomin: *scooches closer* You should tell the person how you feel. Maybe they feel the same way…  
> Snufkin: U rite.  
> Snufkin:  
> Snufkin: *leaves*  
> Moomin: :’( it wasn’t me after all
> 
> Meanwhile in the forest:  
> Snufkin: *panicking*  
> Snufkin: Does Moomin like me? He does right? I need to tell him.  
> Snufkin: I should get him a present  
> Random frog: *is frog*  
> Snufkin: Perfect
> 
> *Back at camp*  
> Moomin: :(  
> Snufkin: I’m back *holding frog*  
> Moomin: *looking at frog* Is that… the guy?  
> Snufkin: *panics* Yes.  
> Moomin:  
> Moomin: How do u know he’s straight?  
> Snufkin: *drops frog* Ily Moomin.  
> *romantic getting together scene*  
> Then they lived happily ever after
> 
> Okay thats it. THANK YOU. bye


End file.
